Bookalicious

From Goodreads: When Nicole Whitcomb’s car runs off a Colorado mountain road during a blinding snowstorm, she is saved from death by a handsome, fascinating, and enigmatic stranger.

Snowbound with him for days in his beautiful home high in the Rockies, she finds herself powerfully attracted to him and soon comes to realize that the feeling is mutual. But there are things about him that mystify her, filling her with apprehension—and Nicole can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t want her there.

Who is Michael Tyler? Why does he live alone in such a secluded spot and guard his private life so carefully? What secret—or secrets—is he hiding?

Nicole has secrets of her own and a past she is running from—but Michael understands her better than anyone she has ever known. Soon, she is falling as deeply in love with him as he is with her.

But as the sexual tension between them builds, the clues mount up. When Nicole learns the terrifying truth—that her host is an ages-old vampire who is torn between his love for her and his desire for her blood—there’s nowhere for her to run but into the blizzard raging outside, and he’s the only one who can save her life.

Filled with unexpected twists and surprises, Nocturne is a page-turning, haunting, and deeply romantic story of forbidden love that will grab your heart and not let go.

I am becoming such a fan of Syrie James. I first read her Dracula, My Love back in the summer and fell in love with her romantic paranormal writing style. Syrie constricted her words to hold true to the original Dracula then, but this new novel Nocturne shows the soft side of paranormal that I really love to see in a book.

Nicole at first is not a very likable character, to me at least. I have absolutely nothing in common with her, and I abhor the snow and being cold. As the book progresses you somehow realize that you aren’t harboring the same feelings for this character as you did in the beginning of the book.

Michael is everything a vampire should and shouldn’t be. He has an amazing depth of character and it was him who kept me coming back for more of this story.

Nocturne is such an incredibly quick read and is a masterful piece of paranormal romance, I shudder to call James’ book out to this genre because I think it is oh so much more but alas I have no better genre to put it in. I cannot say thriller because the plot and the arc are both completely character driven.

You get an early look at Nicole’s racy side on page three of the finished copy:

The wedding had taken place high atop a ski slope at Steamboat Springs, with the bridal party in formal wear and everyone on skis. After the ceremony, most of the people had ridden the chairlift back down, but Nicole–on a dare from one of the grooomsmen–had blithely skied down the mountain. It had involved tucking her long bridesmaids’s dress into her thermal leggings, which Chloe had laughingly insisted was scandalous and beneath the dignity of a twenty-nine-year-old woman. But Nicole hadn’t cared; she couldn’t resist the challenge.

A lot of us who read vampire fiction never really seem to think about the type of human it would take to truly love a beast. Romanticism aside Syrie shows us that you need a bit of a wild hair and a little less care for your mortal life than a regular Joe has.

Michael has lived alone in his mountain-side for well a long time, he was loathe to even save Nicole’s live, of course not knowing hat he would fall madly in love with her and that love would have him second guessing everything he is and wanted to ever be:

He had absolutely no wish to open his house to strangers. It might well be like opening Pandora’s box. His sense of privacy and tranquility would be shattered, possibly forever. He wasn’t equipped to host, much less feed, anyone. And more to the point, he thought bitterly, their safety would be in question every minute. page 13.

Michael does open his home to Nicole, and slowly these two semi-emotionally-broken people opened their hearts to one another. By page ninety-four we had some major passion!

Nicole began to sway under the powerful feelings he stirred in her, her head falling back slightly, her eyes closing. Her heart thundered violently in her chest. Her breath came in little gasps as she felt him plan kisses along the sensitive skin at the side of her throat. Heat suffused her. Perspiration broke out on her brow. She was just about to spin around and fold herself into his embrace when suddenly, to her dismay, sh e heard him curse under his breath.

Obviously Michael has some issues to work out and I don’t want to ruin anything but we get to see him internally work through a lot of issues. One way Michael sorts through his feelings and feels less lonely is taking care of his two awesome horses:

“Aren’t you going to put a saddle on her?” Nicole asked.
“I have saddles,” Michael shrugged, “but I rarely use them. Riding with a saddle is like riding a bus. You’re not actually driving the bus, you’re just sitting on it as a passenger. If you really want to ride a horse, you have to feel the horse with your legs. You have to ride bareback.” page 196

Syrie James is such a fantastic plot weaver I really hope you do get a chance to pick up Nocturne and read it for yourself.

Why Teens Will Love It:

Think Twilight but actually emotionally stable. Micheal having a lot of traits that Edward displays, such as not wanting to hurt the girl he loves and what not, actually pulls it off without the annoying or creepy factor. I think teens will really enjoy reading a romance whose ending is heart breaking instead of ridiculous and the heroine actually has a brain and a tiny shred of care for her life.

Why Adults Will Love It:

Who doesn’t want to be trapped in the snow with a hot vampire writer with a soul? Michael is everything you would want and need him to be and eventually I came to terms and learned to love Nicole too. You will never see vampires the same again.

I gave this book 4.5 stars instead of 5 only because of my personal aversion to snow and being without food. Ridiculous yes but it kept me from delving into the story and connecting with Nicole as deeply as I would have liked to.

I received this book from the publisher, it was a finished copy.